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The Jane Austen Project Lib/E
Perfect for fans of Jane Austen, this engrossing debut novel offers an unusual twist on the legacy of one of the world's most celebrated and beloved authors: two researchers from the future are sent back in time to meet Jane and recover a suspected unpublished novel.
London, 1815: Two travelers--Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane--arrive in a field in rural England, disheveled and weighed down with hidden money. Turned away at a nearby inn, they are forced to travel by coach all night to London. They are not what they seem, but rather colleagues who have come back in time from a technologically advanced future, posing as wealthy West Indies planters--a doctor and his spinster sister. While Rachel and Liam aren't the first team from the future to "go back," their mission is by far the most audacious: meet, befriend, and steal from Jane Austen herself.
Carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, disaster-relief doctor Rachel and actor-turned-scholar Liam have little in common besides the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves in. Circumstances that call for Rachel to stifle her independent nature and let Liam take the lead as they infiltrate Austen's circle via her favorite brother, Henry.
But diagnosing Jane's fatal illness and obtaining an unpublished novel hinted at in her letters pose enough of a challenge without the continuous convolutions of living a lie. While her friendship with Jane deepens and her relationship with Liam grows complicated, Rachel fights to reconcile the woman she is with the proper lady nineteenth-century society expects her to be. As their portal to the future prepares to close, Rachel and Liam struggle with their directive to leave history intact and exactly as they found it...however heartbreaking that may prove.
London, 1815: Two travelers--Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane--arrive in a field in rural England, disheveled and weighed down with hidden money. Turned away at a nearby inn, they are forced to travel by coach all night to London. They are not what they seem, but rather colleagues who have come back in time from a technologically advanced future, posing as wealthy West Indies planters--a doctor and his spinster sister. While Rachel and Liam aren't the first team from the future to "go back," their mission is by far the most audacious: meet, befriend, and steal from Jane Austen herself.
Carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, disaster-relief doctor Rachel and actor-turned-scholar Liam have little in common besides the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves in. Circumstances that call for Rachel to stifle her independent nature and let Liam take the lead as they infiltrate Austen's circle via her favorite brother, Henry.
But diagnosing Jane's fatal illness and obtaining an unpublished novel hinted at in her letters pose enough of a challenge without the continuous convolutions of living a lie. While her friendship with Jane deepens and her relationship with Liam grows complicated, Rachel fights to reconcile the woman she is with the proper lady nineteenth-century society expects her to be. As their portal to the future prepares to close, Rachel and Liam struggle with their directive to leave history intact and exactly as they found it...however heartbreaking that may prove.
11 pages, Audio CD
First published May 2, 2017
532 people are currently reading
12401 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen A. Flynn
1 book443 followersKathleen A. Flynn, author of The Jane Austen Project, is a native of tiny Falls Village, Conn.
She currently lives in large Seoul, South Korea, where she works as an editor for The New York Times on the International Desk.
She can also be found here on Goodreads, where she comments, not always coherently, on every book she reads.
She currently lives in large Seoul, South Korea, where she works as an editor for The New York Times on the International Desk.
She can also be found here on Goodreads, where she comments, not always coherently, on every book she reads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,976 reviews
February 17, 2021
Time travel + Jane Austen = two of my favorite literary subjects! Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
I’m an enthusiastic Jane Austen fan (Pride and Prejudice is my desert island book of choice) but I had never heard of her unfinished novel The Watsons until reading The Jane Austen Project, a compelling time travel novel by Jane Austen devotee Kathleen Flynn. In this novel, an old Austen family letter has recently surfaced, indicating that Jane Austen actually did finish The Watsons but then destroyed most of it.
The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics ― a fancy title for a British government research center that has mastered the practical ability to send people back in time ― has now sent Rachel Katzman (a doctor and our narrator) and Liam Finucane (a scholar with a background in acting) to Regency-era England. They land in London in 1815, with the mission of infiltrating the social circle of Jane Austen so they can steal the Watsons manuscript. Their secondary mission: try to figure out what the illness was caused Jane’s death at the relatively young age of 41. They have a year before the time portal opens again: a single-shot chance to return to the future.
Liam and Rachel adopt the fictitious identities of William and Mary Ravenswood, a doctor and his spinster sister (Rachel is 33). After setting up house in London, Liam sends a letter to Jane Austen’s favorite brother Henry, claiming a mutual acquaintance (who is conveniently in Jamaica) and telling Henry that he and his sister Mary have recently returned to England from Jamaica, where they sold their sugar plantation and freed their slaves.
The introduction plan works, and soon Liam and Rachel are able to befriend Henry, with Rachel feeding Liam helpful medical advice when Henry falls ill. They know that soon Jane will be arriving to visit Henry, when their plan will move to Phase II. But the plan hits some bumps: Henry becomes romantically interested in Rachel/Mary, Cassandra is suspicious, and Liam and Rachel’s own relationship becomes, well, complicated. And Rachel finds herself tempted to go beyond the bounds of her mission to not just diagnose Jane’s illness, but perhaps find a way to cure it, despite her future society’s strict prohibition on doing anything that may significantly change the past.
Flynn’s love and knowledge of Jane Austen and Regency times shines through in the pages of The Jane Austen Project. Henry and Jane Austen are fully realized, complex characters. I really felt like I had met Jane herself through the pages of this book. Her developing friendship with Rachel was wholly believable and, understandably, Rachel is deeply torn by her assignment to abuse that friendship by rummaging through Jane’s possessions to try to locate and steal the manuscript for The Watsons. The setting shows the problems and limitations of Regency society as well as its charms. Rachel struggles with the limitations on the role of women, and medical and sanitary practices are appropriately primitive.
Flynn’s thoughtful and excellent writing in the historical parts of The Jane Austen Project falters somewhat when it comes to the romance and science fictional elements of the tale. The romance never fully engaged me, perhaps partly because it involved cheating on a third party (or even two, depending on how you view it). Flynn’s version of future society has some potentially interesting aspects to it, but it’s drawn with broad strokes and given somewhat short shrift. The actual mechanics of time travel are hand-waved (admittedly, Connie Willis does the same), and the impact of Rachel’s and Liam’s adventures in the past on the future struck me as squirrelly. I’m a bit of a stickler for time travel theories and how they play out in fictional novels. I don’t much care whether the author uses an immutable past theory, a parallel universe theory or something else, as long as the effect of changing the past (or attempting to do so) plays out in a way that makes some kind of sense to me … but I had serious trouble suspending my disbelief here.
It’s clear Flynn’s heart and true interests are in Jane Austen and her era. I enjoyed The Jane Austen Project greatly for those parts, but then, I’m a devoted Austen fan. I recommend this novel primarily to readers who have an interest in Jane Austen and her times, and who don’t mind a novel playing a bit fast and loose with time travel theory.
Content notes: A scene or two with somewhat explicit sexual content and maybe a couple of F-bombs, IIRC.
I’m an enthusiastic Jane Austen fan (Pride and Prejudice is my desert island book of choice) but I had never heard of her unfinished novel The Watsons until reading The Jane Austen Project, a compelling time travel novel by Jane Austen devotee Kathleen Flynn. In this novel, an old Austen family letter has recently surfaced, indicating that Jane Austen actually did finish The Watsons but then destroyed most of it.
The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics ― a fancy title for a British government research center that has mastered the practical ability to send people back in time ― has now sent Rachel Katzman (a doctor and our narrator) and Liam Finucane (a scholar with a background in acting) to Regency-era England. They land in London in 1815, with the mission of infiltrating the social circle of Jane Austen so they can steal the Watsons manuscript. Their secondary mission: try to figure out what the illness was caused Jane’s death at the relatively young age of 41. They have a year before the time portal opens again: a single-shot chance to return to the future.
Liam and Rachel adopt the fictitious identities of William and Mary Ravenswood, a doctor and his spinster sister (Rachel is 33). After setting up house in London, Liam sends a letter to Jane Austen’s favorite brother Henry, claiming a mutual acquaintance (who is conveniently in Jamaica) and telling Henry that he and his sister Mary have recently returned to England from Jamaica, where they sold their sugar plantation and freed their slaves.
The introduction plan works, and soon Liam and Rachel are able to befriend Henry, with Rachel feeding Liam helpful medical advice when Henry falls ill. They know that soon Jane will be arriving to visit Henry, when their plan will move to Phase II. But the plan hits some bumps: Henry becomes romantically interested in Rachel/Mary, Cassandra is suspicious, and Liam and Rachel’s own relationship becomes, well, complicated. And Rachel finds herself tempted to go beyond the bounds of her mission to not just diagnose Jane’s illness, but perhaps find a way to cure it, despite her future society’s strict prohibition on doing anything that may significantly change the past.
Flynn’s love and knowledge of Jane Austen and Regency times shines through in the pages of The Jane Austen Project. Henry and Jane Austen are fully realized, complex characters. I really felt like I had met Jane herself through the pages of this book. Her developing friendship with Rachel was wholly believable and, understandably, Rachel is deeply torn by her assignment to abuse that friendship by rummaging through Jane’s possessions to try to locate and steal the manuscript for The Watsons. The setting shows the problems and limitations of Regency society as well as its charms. Rachel struggles with the limitations on the role of women, and medical and sanitary practices are appropriately primitive.
Flynn’s thoughtful and excellent writing in the historical parts of The Jane Austen Project falters somewhat when it comes to the romance and science fictional elements of the tale. The romance never fully engaged me, perhaps partly because it involved cheating on a third party (or even two, depending on how you view it). Flynn’s version of future society has some potentially interesting aspects to it, but it’s drawn with broad strokes and given somewhat short shrift. The actual mechanics of time travel are hand-waved (admittedly, Connie Willis does the same), and the impact of Rachel’s and Liam’s adventures in the past on the future struck me as squirrelly. I’m a bit of a stickler for time travel theories and how they play out in fictional novels. I don’t much care whether the author uses an immutable past theory, a parallel universe theory or something else, as long as the effect of changing the past (or attempting to do so) plays out in a way that makes some kind of sense to me … but I had serious trouble suspending my disbelief here.
It’s clear Flynn’s heart and true interests are in Jane Austen and her era. I enjoyed The Jane Austen Project greatly for those parts, but then, I’m a devoted Austen fan. I recommend this novel primarily to readers who have an interest in Jane Austen and her times, and who don’t mind a novel playing a bit fast and loose with time travel theory.
Content notes: A scene or two with somewhat explicit sexual content and maybe a couple of F-bombs, IIRC.
September 19, 2017
There was a moment in the beginning of the book when a sentence made me stop reading and smile because I recognized a name and the sentence made me realize that the author has read my favorite book; Possession by A.S. Byatt. I will even quote the sentence: A statue of the poet Randolph Henry Ash, which had long stood in a traffic circle in Hampstead, had disappeared overnight, along with all records of its creation. The poet Randolph Henry Ash is one of the main characters in Possession and I thought this makes sense, someone has traveled back in time changed history so now we have no recollection of Randolph Henry Ash. The reason I thought so is that I think Randolph Henry Ash is one of the best poets ever, and he has never ever lived!
Anyway, I got a bit sidetracked by my love for Possession. Back to The Jane Austen Project. This book is fabulous, one thing that I truly loved with it was it really dealt with the consequences of traveling back in time, The changes it brings to the future. This is something that Rachel, the book's narrator ponders over during the books progress. How their presence will change history. Even small things can have big consequences as the ending will show.
Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane mission are to steal a manuscript from Jane Austen. But, befriending Jane has its consequences. Especially Rachel finds it hard to just play a role and try to find a moment to steal the manuscript. Rachel starts to like Jane, and as a doctor, she also starts to think about saving Janes life, but that would truly have consequences...
The Jane Austen Project is one of the best books I have read about time travel. I adore the beautiful cover and I found the story engrossing.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
Anyway, I got a bit sidetracked by my love for Possession. Back to The Jane Austen Project. This book is fabulous, one thing that I truly loved with it was it really dealt with the consequences of traveling back in time, The changes it brings to the future. This is something that Rachel, the book's narrator ponders over during the books progress. How their presence will change history. Even small things can have big consequences as the ending will show.
Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane mission are to steal a manuscript from Jane Austen. But, befriending Jane has its consequences. Especially Rachel finds it hard to just play a role and try to find a moment to steal the manuscript. Rachel starts to like Jane, and as a doctor, she also starts to think about saving Janes life, but that would truly have consequences...
The Jane Austen Project is one of the best books I have read about time travel. I adore the beautiful cover and I found the story engrossing.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
February 5, 2017
5+ stars
WOW is truly all I can say about this book. I loved every aspect of The Jane Austen Project. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and have read and reread each of her books too many times to count. I am not a fan of books that take Austen’s stories and redo them – making them about zombies, continuing the characters’ lives, etc., and I have mixed feelings about books that drop people into her stories. Thankfully, The Jane Austen Project does none of these things. Instead Kathleen Flynn creates an entirely new story that sends two time travelers, Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane, back to Jane Austen’s time to meet her, locate a manuscript that she never published and bring it back to their futuristic time period. Trained and prepared by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, the pair successfully travel back to 1815 and begin the process of trying to fulfill the mission’s goals. As they attempt to insert themselves into 19th century life, Rachel and Liam quickly learn that while preparation for a project such as this is helpful, there are many aspects of everyday life in another era that cannot be anticipated. Moreover, as Rachel befriends Jane and her relatives, she finds it increasingly difficult to complete her mission without betraying her relationship with Jane.
There were so many things I loved about this book. The research and creativity that went into this story are truly mind boggling. The time traveling portion of the book is very well-done and thoughtfully depicted. Rachel and Liam hail from a technologically advanced future where time travel has been successfully attempted. The details relating to their preparation and training were fabulous. I also loved Flynn’s imagined futuristic society including the reemergence of Great Britain as the super power and felt she included enough information on this era to understand what it was like without detracting from the main story taking place in 1815-1816.
I reveled in the level of detail Flynn included about England in 1815 and learned so many fascinating items about that time period: customs, rules, and even what it smelled like. I truly felt like I could visualize so much of what she described. I am sure I will need to reread the book to absorb every last tidbit. The ending was superb; I cannot say very much without spoiling it, but Flynn outdid herself with the original, ingenious, and thought-provoking end to the novel.
I have not read a book I enjoyed as much as this one in a long, long time. For Jane Austen fans, it is a must read and will be highly entertaining for any reader. Thanks to Harper Perennial for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
WOW is truly all I can say about this book. I loved every aspect of The Jane Austen Project. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and have read and reread each of her books too many times to count. I am not a fan of books that take Austen’s stories and redo them – making them about zombies, continuing the characters’ lives, etc., and I have mixed feelings about books that drop people into her stories. Thankfully, The Jane Austen Project does none of these things. Instead Kathleen Flynn creates an entirely new story that sends two time travelers, Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane, back to Jane Austen’s time to meet her, locate a manuscript that she never published and bring it back to their futuristic time period. Trained and prepared by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, the pair successfully travel back to 1815 and begin the process of trying to fulfill the mission’s goals. As they attempt to insert themselves into 19th century life, Rachel and Liam quickly learn that while preparation for a project such as this is helpful, there are many aspects of everyday life in another era that cannot be anticipated. Moreover, as Rachel befriends Jane and her relatives, she finds it increasingly difficult to complete her mission without betraying her relationship with Jane.
There were so many things I loved about this book. The research and creativity that went into this story are truly mind boggling. The time traveling portion of the book is very well-done and thoughtfully depicted. Rachel and Liam hail from a technologically advanced future where time travel has been successfully attempted. The details relating to their preparation and training were fabulous. I also loved Flynn’s imagined futuristic society including the reemergence of Great Britain as the super power and felt she included enough information on this era to understand what it was like without detracting from the main story taking place in 1815-1816.
I reveled in the level of detail Flynn included about England in 1815 and learned so many fascinating items about that time period: customs, rules, and even what it smelled like. I truly felt like I could visualize so much of what she described. I am sure I will need to reread the book to absorb every last tidbit. The ending was superb; I cannot say very much without spoiling it, but Flynn outdid herself with the original, ingenious, and thought-provoking end to the novel.
I have not read a book I enjoyed as much as this one in a long, long time. For Jane Austen fans, it is a must read and will be highly entertaining for any reader. Thanks to Harper Perennial for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 1, 2017
This was a weird one. The focus wasn't on the tech needed to get the main characters Rachel and Liam to 1815 London (the tech involves supercomputers that generate wormholes to other time periods, and hand waving.) This book is about fangirling Jane Austen, not there's anything wrong with that!; I love Austen's sharp-witted and ironic humour.
Rachel and Liam are tasked with retrieving the complete manuscript for "The Watsons"; to do this, they must insinuate themselves into the lives of Henry Austen (Jane's favourite brother) and eventually Jane Austen herself. Rachel and Liam are colleagues who've trained intensely for this opportunity.
I liked the historical details, and the difficulties Rachel and Liam encounter impersonating gentry raised in Jamaica who've arrived in London to live proper, English lives. The author's characterization Jane Austen was less sharp tongued than I imagined the Jane to have been. But the parts of the book I had the most trouble with were how the author described Rachel's evolving feelings for Liam, partially because of how the author presents Rachel at the book's outset and through the story's action. I also had a hard time understanding Liam's character from the author's initial description of him, and the many paragraphs of adjectives she devotes to him as the story progresses.
I liked the historical stuff (but found it much less grungy than I expected, as it's 1815), but didn't enjoy the 'romantical' melodrama between the main characters.
Rachel and Liam are tasked with retrieving the complete manuscript for "The Watsons"; to do this, they must insinuate themselves into the lives of Henry Austen (Jane's favourite brother) and eventually Jane Austen herself. Rachel and Liam are colleagues who've trained intensely for this opportunity.
I liked the historical details, and the difficulties Rachel and Liam encounter impersonating gentry raised in Jamaica who've arrived in London to live proper, English lives. The author's characterization Jane Austen was less sharp tongued than I imagined the Jane to have been. But the parts of the book I had the most trouble with were how the author described Rachel's evolving feelings for Liam, partially because of how the author presents Rachel at the book's outset and through the story's action. I also had a hard time understanding Liam's character from the author's initial description of him, and the many paragraphs of adjectives she devotes to him as the story progresses.
I liked the historical stuff (but found it much less grungy than I expected, as it's 1815), but didn't enjoy the 'romantical' melodrama between the main characters.
August 14, 2017
I found the main character completely uninteresting and kind of unlikable. Why were people falling in love with her all over the place? Why did Jane Austen like her so much? Why in the heck would she have been chosen for the mission in the first place?
Character development was abrupt and emotional reactions rang false to me. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, especially when it came to what characters were thinking and feeling.
I just didn't like this very much.
Character development was abrupt and emotional reactions rang false to me. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, especially when it came to what characters were thinking and feeling.
I just didn't like this very much.
August 2, 2017
The Jane Austen Project is a pretty entertaining read on the whole, very solid if unspectacular, for fans of Jane Austen, Regency England, and time travel books that focus little on the science and more on the experience: I'd give 3 stars exactly. I should start by saying though I've read Longbourn (enjoyed on the whole though it had an extremely different tone and sensibility to Austen novels, and also gave it three stars) and plan to read Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice, in general I don't gravitate towards Austen adaptations or extensions: her novels are always pretty neatly wrapped, and if I want to re-create my emotional reaction to Anne Elliott's eventual triumph after her life of undeserved slights and constant, seemingly unrequited love for Captain Wentworth in Persuasion, my personal favorite Austen novel, well, I'll just re-read Persuasion. I think fans of Austen and fans of Austen continuations/re-tellings would both enjoy this novel and perhaps critique different elements of the plot and set up.
It took me a bit to get into it: the exposition is a bit rocky as Flynn needs to introduce the characters, their home time, and how they will get set up as respectable people in 1815, and the future world is hazily sketched at that point. Once I pushed past the opening and the characters (and therefore me as the reader) were fully immersed in London society, the book whizzed by. The basic premise is well stated from the blurb: two time travelers, Rachel and Liam, from an unspecified future time enter England in 1815, with a mission objective of securing Jane Austen's lost novel, "The Watsons". The objective changes somewhat as Rachel and Liam become more acquainted with the family, until their directive to leave the future intact clashes with their desire to save Jane, Henry, and other figures major and minor. The underlying and later explicitly stated concern is that if they make any changes however subtle, either their future will change in inconceivable ways, or they'll never be able to return, marooned from their home time. But there's also a part of both characters that ask if they even want to return, or live out their lives in Regency England.
While I felt that the beginning was a bit slow to set up the conceit, the ending somewhat abrupt, and the mechanics and details of the future world and time travel only lightly explained and covered, the middle sections in which Rachel and Liam assume their identities as Mary and William Ravenswood and interact with various members of the Austen family are fun, interesting, and share some of the same sharp social observation that Jane Austen's novels commonly exhibited. Action moves from the city of London to the more bucolic Hampshire and Chawton House, echoing the town/country split settings of other Austen novels.
Flynn did a fantastic job in my opinion of imaging Jane Austen both as a critical character that is the whole reason for the story, but also a strong and seemingly authentic take on a beloved but not deeply well known real-life literary figure. Her Jane both supports and subverts the portrait her family created for her after her death: smart, witty, complicated, constrained by her times but also fully of them, easy to trace her most enduring heroines to portions of her personality, but being far more multi-faceted than her fictional creations. Because her Jane really worked for me, the main body of the novel also worked for me, and I found myself truly interested in the developing friendship between Rachel/Mary and Jane.
Flynn also takes part of the traditional Austen "marriage plot" and adds it to her storyline as well: Rachel as Mary Ravenswood attracts the interest of Jane's brother Henry, and their attraction and Henry's friendship with Liam/William help to develop relations with Jane, Cassandra and the rest of the Austen family. In some ways it can be a little repetitive and not always as well done as in the original Austen works (secret engagement! family scandal! financial ruin!) But it wouldn't be Austen without our heroine further examining her own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and arriving at new ideas about herself during the course of said marriage plot, and the dual foils of Henry and Liam serve to do that for Rachel. The progression of both love stories makes sense relative to the larger plot and to Austen, and I liked how Flynn could compare the traditional courtship of Regency England with "Mary" and Henry to the growing feelings of Rachel and Liam from a future social interaction perspective, while still being able to situate both in the larger story.
I suppose what I liked most in a general sense is that this book does so well to both discuss and capture the imagination and observation behind Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and the other works of Austen's oeuvre, without having to do any modern adapting or extending the lives of literary characters that can be received very differently by each reader. The writing is good on the whole, again better with exposition and dialogue as regards the Regency parts, and on Rachel's inner thoughts and changing perspectives, less strong for me for future pieces. Flynn plays in Austen's sandbox without messing with her creations, and her Jane is well imagined, so the Austen fan is fairly satisfied with these results. I do wish the modern elements - the time travel science and implications and even the world(s) Rachel and Liam came/come from - were as well developed as the Regency period part of the story, and the ending really did feel a bit rushed, a bit abrupt, and not quite as final as I would have liked (nor as final as Austen would sign off her novels for her heroines). But it was still an enjoyable read, and one I would recommend for fans of Austen and especially those who read the Austen re-tellings and extended tales like Death Comes to Pemberley, Longbourn, Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice and other, those who crave more, more, more Austen: these time travelers do too. Though I'll probably never need or want to re-read this: it's enjoyable but not overly memorable, especially in comparison to being able to continually delight in the pleasures of Persuasion and the rest of Austen's work.
It took me a bit to get into it: the exposition is a bit rocky as Flynn needs to introduce the characters, their home time, and how they will get set up as respectable people in 1815, and the future world is hazily sketched at that point. Once I pushed past the opening and the characters (and therefore me as the reader) were fully immersed in London society, the book whizzed by. The basic premise is well stated from the blurb: two time travelers, Rachel and Liam, from an unspecified future time enter England in 1815, with a mission objective of securing Jane Austen's lost novel, "The Watsons". The objective changes somewhat as Rachel and Liam become more acquainted with the family, until their directive to leave the future intact clashes with their desire to save Jane, Henry, and other figures major and minor. The underlying and later explicitly stated concern is that if they make any changes however subtle, either their future will change in inconceivable ways, or they'll never be able to return, marooned from their home time. But there's also a part of both characters that ask if they even want to return, or live out their lives in Regency England.
While I felt that the beginning was a bit slow to set up the conceit, the ending somewhat abrupt, and the mechanics and details of the future world and time travel only lightly explained and covered, the middle sections in which Rachel and Liam assume their identities as Mary and William Ravenswood and interact with various members of the Austen family are fun, interesting, and share some of the same sharp social observation that Jane Austen's novels commonly exhibited. Action moves from the city of London to the more bucolic Hampshire and Chawton House, echoing the town/country split settings of other Austen novels.
Flynn did a fantastic job in my opinion of imaging Jane Austen both as a critical character that is the whole reason for the story, but also a strong and seemingly authentic take on a beloved but not deeply well known real-life literary figure. Her Jane both supports and subverts the portrait her family created for her after her death: smart, witty, complicated, constrained by her times but also fully of them, easy to trace her most enduring heroines to portions of her personality, but being far more multi-faceted than her fictional creations. Because her Jane really worked for me, the main body of the novel also worked for me, and I found myself truly interested in the developing friendship between Rachel/Mary and Jane.
Flynn also takes part of the traditional Austen "marriage plot" and adds it to her storyline as well: Rachel as Mary Ravenswood attracts the interest of Jane's brother Henry, and their attraction and Henry's friendship with Liam/William help to develop relations with Jane, Cassandra and the rest of the Austen family. In some ways it can be a little repetitive and not always as well done as in the original Austen works (secret engagement! family scandal! financial ruin!) But it wouldn't be Austen without our heroine further examining her own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and arriving at new ideas about herself during the course of said marriage plot, and the dual foils of Henry and Liam serve to do that for Rachel. The progression of both love stories makes sense relative to the larger plot and to Austen, and I liked how Flynn could compare the traditional courtship of Regency England with "Mary" and Henry to the growing feelings of Rachel and Liam from a future social interaction perspective, while still being able to situate both in the larger story.
I suppose what I liked most in a general sense is that this book does so well to both discuss and capture the imagination and observation behind Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and the other works of Austen's oeuvre, without having to do any modern adapting or extending the lives of literary characters that can be received very differently by each reader. The writing is good on the whole, again better with exposition and dialogue as regards the Regency parts, and on Rachel's inner thoughts and changing perspectives, less strong for me for future pieces. Flynn plays in Austen's sandbox without messing with her creations, and her Jane is well imagined, so the Austen fan is fairly satisfied with these results. I do wish the modern elements - the time travel science and implications and even the world(s) Rachel and Liam came/come from - were as well developed as the Regency period part of the story, and the ending really did feel a bit rushed, a bit abrupt, and not quite as final as I would have liked (nor as final as Austen would sign off her novels for her heroines). But it was still an enjoyable read, and one I would recommend for fans of Austen and especially those who read the Austen re-tellings and extended tales like Death Comes to Pemberley, Longbourn, Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice and other, those who crave more, more, more Austen: these time travelers do too. Though I'll probably never need or want to re-read this: it's enjoyable but not overly memorable, especially in comparison to being able to continually delight in the pleasures of Persuasion and the rest of Austen's work.
May 11, 2017
Why does Goodreads let authors review their own books? Of course I like it! I wrote it!
It's entertaining, I think. There are actually parts that still make me laugh, as many times as I've read it. I like the details about life in 1815, the shapely plot and the unlikely love story. I like Jane Austen.
p.s. I just listened to the audiobook. A very strange experience to have someone reading your own words to you -- but really fun. Saskia Maarleveld did a great job rendering the various accents and finding the humor in Rachel's first-person narration. If you like listening to your books, definitely consider the audio version.
It's entertaining, I think. There are actually parts that still make me laugh, as many times as I've read it. I like the details about life in 1815, the shapely plot and the unlikely love story. I like Jane Austen.
p.s. I just listened to the audiobook. A very strange experience to have someone reading your own words to you -- but really fun. Saskia Maarleveld did a great job rendering the various accents and finding the humor in Rachel's first-person narration. If you like listening to your books, definitely consider the audio version.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2017
Ended up giving this one a straight A at AAR.
Confession time. When I picked up The Jane Austen Project for review, I really didn’t expect it to be a book I couldn’t put down. I thought the premise – two time travellers go back to 1815 to meet Jane Austen and secure a previously unpublished manuscript – was interesting (which was why I chose it) but also fraught with potential pitfalls in terms of tone and characterisation. I’m happy to admit that my scepticism was quickly laid to rest and to say that this is a thoroughly entertaining, compelling and unusual story that hooked me in from the first page and kept me glued to it throughout.
Doctor and Austen devotee Rachel Katzman and Professor Liam Finucane, an actor turned academic, were carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics for one particular mission – to go back in time to 1815, meet Jane Austen and locate the manuscript for The Watsons, a novel previously thought unfinished but which a newly discovered letter indicates was actually completed and subsequently destroyed by the author. Rachel and Liam are charged with bringing back The Watsons and also more of Jane’s letters to her sister, Cassandra, documents which later proved incredibly valuable in piecing together details of the author’s life, and of which only a few survive. If Rachel can also figure out what caused Jane’s premature death at the age of forty-one, well, that would be a bonus.
The pair arrives, bedraggled and disoriented in a field in Leatherhead, Surrey with a small fortune in forged money hidden under their clothes and a cover story that they are Doctor William Ravenswood and his spinster sister, Mary, recently returned from Jamaica where they have sold off the family coffee plantation. Unable to secure rooms at the local inn owing to their having no luggage and looking somewhat suspicious besides, they instead hire a post chaise and head to London where they take up residence in a fashionable town house and formulate their plan to get to know Jane Austen’s brother, Henry, who is, at that time, a successful banker.
Posing as acquaintances of a distant Austen relative, they wrangle an introduction to Henry who is everything they expect from what they know of him: good-looking, charming and gregarious, it’s easy to see why Jane referred to him as her favourite brother. Over the next few weeks, they become part of Henry’s intimate circle and eventually, as planned, are introduced to his sisters and other family members when they visit London. Cassandra Austen is brusque and most definitely suspicious of her brother’s new acquaintances while Jane is quiet and circumspect, clearly not a woman who allows people to get to know her easily and who doesn’t rush headlong into friendships. The portrayal of Jane Austen is one of those potential pitfalls I mentioned at the beginning, but I’m pleased to say that this is a very credible portrait of her in which she comes across exactly as I’m sure many of us imagine her to have been – intelligent, witty, considered and insightful.
Once the shock of finally meeting her idol has begun to wear off, and what had begun as a slightly uneasy relationship develops into a genuine friendship, Rachel is faced with a dilemma she hadn’t before envisaged. Back in her own time, and in the early days of the mission, having to search Jane’s home for the manuscript and letters was just a job, and the idea of making a great literary discovery was thrilling. But several months down the line, Rachel is faced with the prospect of stealing from someone who has become a close friend, which is a different matter entirely.
The other major concern on my initial list of potential pitfalls was to do with the characterisation of Rachel. Would she be too obviously modern for 1815, continually asserting her rights and chafing against all the things she wasn’t allowed to do? The answer – fortunately – is no; Ms. Flynn gets it right, having Rachel know full well that there are things she simply cannot do. She doesn’t like it, but accepts it’s necessary to conform in order to maintain her persona. In her own time, she’s a doctor, but in this period, all she can be is William Ravenswood’s spinster sister, carefully coaching Liam to play the part of a doctor while she watches from the sidelines, sewing shirts and wondering how intelligent women of the time didn’t end up going round the bend. Admittedly, she slips up from time to time, but is mostly able to explain it away because of her Mary’s non-traditional upbringing in Jamaica.
Time travel fiction is always going to have to address one big problem – how do people go back in time without somehow affecting their future? Here, Liam and Rachel are given specific instructions NOT to do anything which could have ramifications for their own time, but, as they soon come to realise, that was impossible from the moment they arrived, and they have probably altered things without even meaning to. And as they get to know Henry and Jane as real people rather than as historical figures they’ve only read about, they find it impossible not to want to help them in some way; by preventing Jane’s early death and the ruin of Henry’s business. It’s tempting – but dangerous. There comes a point where they both have to wonder if perhaps the tiniest thing they’ve done during their lengthy stay might have changed their own world/time out of all recognition and even to question if they want to risk returning to it or stay in one that has, over the months, become more real to them than they could ever have thought possible.
There’s a lot to enjoy in The Jane Austen Project, not least of which is the sweet, sexy romance that develops between Liam and Rachel in which Rachel – in the manner of all Austen’s heroines – comes to examine her own thoughts and feelings and to draw some new and unexpected conclusions about herself. Ms. Flynn carefully crafts a realistic portrait of life as led by the middle class during the Regency period, and there’s a terrific sense of time and place throughout. Having two fish-out-of-water protagonists act as the reader’s window into that world works extremely well to bring home the emphasis placed on the importance of correct behaviour and propriety, the position of women in nineteenth century society and the great inequalities and hardship that existed between the different social strata.
The Jane Austen Project is a creative and entertaining novel that addresses some interesting ideas while at the same time telling a cracking good story. My only criticism really is that the ending is a bit abrupt and inconclusive. While I understand the book is not categorised as a romance, I won’t deny that I’d have liked things to have been more obviously settled at the end, which maybe – just – sort of – points towards a HEA somewhere along the line (if you squint). But that aside, this is an impressive début novel, a terrific read and a book I’d definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys something a bit out of the ordinary, whether they’re an Austen fan or not.
Confession time. When I picked up The Jane Austen Project for review, I really didn’t expect it to be a book I couldn’t put down. I thought the premise – two time travellers go back to 1815 to meet Jane Austen and secure a previously unpublished manuscript – was interesting (which was why I chose it) but also fraught with potential pitfalls in terms of tone and characterisation. I’m happy to admit that my scepticism was quickly laid to rest and to say that this is a thoroughly entertaining, compelling and unusual story that hooked me in from the first page and kept me glued to it throughout.
Doctor and Austen devotee Rachel Katzman and Professor Liam Finucane, an actor turned academic, were carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics for one particular mission – to go back in time to 1815, meet Jane Austen and locate the manuscript for The Watsons, a novel previously thought unfinished but which a newly discovered letter indicates was actually completed and subsequently destroyed by the author. Rachel and Liam are charged with bringing back The Watsons and also more of Jane’s letters to her sister, Cassandra, documents which later proved incredibly valuable in piecing together details of the author’s life, and of which only a few survive. If Rachel can also figure out what caused Jane’s premature death at the age of forty-one, well, that would be a bonus.
The pair arrives, bedraggled and disoriented in a field in Leatherhead, Surrey with a small fortune in forged money hidden under their clothes and a cover story that they are Doctor William Ravenswood and his spinster sister, Mary, recently returned from Jamaica where they have sold off the family coffee plantation. Unable to secure rooms at the local inn owing to their having no luggage and looking somewhat suspicious besides, they instead hire a post chaise and head to London where they take up residence in a fashionable town house and formulate their plan to get to know Jane Austen’s brother, Henry, who is, at that time, a successful banker.
Posing as acquaintances of a distant Austen relative, they wrangle an introduction to Henry who is everything they expect from what they know of him: good-looking, charming and gregarious, it’s easy to see why Jane referred to him as her favourite brother. Over the next few weeks, they become part of Henry’s intimate circle and eventually, as planned, are introduced to his sisters and other family members when they visit London. Cassandra Austen is brusque and most definitely suspicious of her brother’s new acquaintances while Jane is quiet and circumspect, clearly not a woman who allows people to get to know her easily and who doesn’t rush headlong into friendships. The portrayal of Jane Austen is one of those potential pitfalls I mentioned at the beginning, but I’m pleased to say that this is a very credible portrait of her in which she comes across exactly as I’m sure many of us imagine her to have been – intelligent, witty, considered and insightful.
Once the shock of finally meeting her idol has begun to wear off, and what had begun as a slightly uneasy relationship develops into a genuine friendship, Rachel is faced with a dilemma she hadn’t before envisaged. Back in her own time, and in the early days of the mission, having to search Jane’s home for the manuscript and letters was just a job, and the idea of making a great literary discovery was thrilling. But several months down the line, Rachel is faced with the prospect of stealing from someone who has become a close friend, which is a different matter entirely.
The other major concern on my initial list of potential pitfalls was to do with the characterisation of Rachel. Would she be too obviously modern for 1815, continually asserting her rights and chafing against all the things she wasn’t allowed to do? The answer – fortunately – is no; Ms. Flynn gets it right, having Rachel know full well that there are things she simply cannot do. She doesn’t like it, but accepts it’s necessary to conform in order to maintain her persona. In her own time, she’s a doctor, but in this period, all she can be is William Ravenswood’s spinster sister, carefully coaching Liam to play the part of a doctor while she watches from the sidelines, sewing shirts and wondering how intelligent women of the time didn’t end up going round the bend. Admittedly, she slips up from time to time, but is mostly able to explain it away because of her Mary’s non-traditional upbringing in Jamaica.
Time travel fiction is always going to have to address one big problem – how do people go back in time without somehow affecting their future? Here, Liam and Rachel are given specific instructions NOT to do anything which could have ramifications for their own time, but, as they soon come to realise, that was impossible from the moment they arrived, and they have probably altered things without even meaning to. And as they get to know Henry and Jane as real people rather than as historical figures they’ve only read about, they find it impossible not to want to help them in some way; by preventing Jane’s early death and the ruin of Henry’s business. It’s tempting – but dangerous. There comes a point where they both have to wonder if perhaps the tiniest thing they’ve done during their lengthy stay might have changed their own world/time out of all recognition and even to question if they want to risk returning to it or stay in one that has, over the months, become more real to them than they could ever have thought possible.
There’s a lot to enjoy in The Jane Austen Project, not least of which is the sweet, sexy romance that develops between Liam and Rachel in which Rachel – in the manner of all Austen’s heroines – comes to examine her own thoughts and feelings and to draw some new and unexpected conclusions about herself. Ms. Flynn carefully crafts a realistic portrait of life as led by the middle class during the Regency period, and there’s a terrific sense of time and place throughout. Having two fish-out-of-water protagonists act as the reader’s window into that world works extremely well to bring home the emphasis placed on the importance of correct behaviour and propriety, the position of women in nineteenth century society and the great inequalities and hardship that existed between the different social strata.
The Jane Austen Project is a creative and entertaining novel that addresses some interesting ideas while at the same time telling a cracking good story. My only criticism really is that the ending is a bit abrupt and inconclusive. While I understand the book is not categorised as a romance, I won’t deny that I’d have liked things to have been more obviously settled at the end, which maybe – just – sort of – points towards a HEA somewhere along the line (if you squint). But that aside, this is an impressive début novel, a terrific read and a book I’d definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys something a bit out of the ordinary, whether they’re an Austen fan or not.
March 25, 2019
Well, I suppose, I should start by admitting that I do not care much for time travel. Or fictional representations of real life people. Or stupid conflict.
And this book contains a lot of stupid conflict.
For example: you live in the future and need to send two people back in time to pose as siblings to woo Jane Austen & fam. So what do you do?
Well, for one, you'd think you would find two people who can, I dunno, pass as siblings. Apparently Rachel and Liam don't look much alike because people keep doubting their sibling status.
And for two, you'd think you would find two people freakin' mature enough not to give into their lust and endanger the entire mission by becoming lovers while posing as siblings. Just a thought.
And for three, if you're sending said people back into a racist & anti-Semitic era, maybe don't send someone (or two someones) who would become a target of such attitudes.
But if the future scientists sending said time travelers thought these things through, this book would lose most of its conflict. And then where would we be? (Much happier.)
Despite my general annoyance with books that fictionalize real-life people, I enjoyed the portrayal of Jane Austen and her family. Even my obsessive knowledge of all things Jane Austen did not distract me from the storyline, which demonstrates strong research on the part of the author and an understanding of her topic. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of the main characters. Rachel and Liam drove me to distraction. Or at least, Rachel does and Liam doesn't help.
She's a "thoroughly modern woman" who sleeps around and avoids commitment because...reasons. She gets testy about sexism (because who would see THAT coming in a mission to the 1800s) and whines when females prefer her erstwhile brother to herself. Her sexual flirtation with Jane Austen's brother made me seriously uncomfortable (poor Henry, I will never look at you the same) and her thing with Liam was just...ugh.
Also, despite the author's obviously thorough (to the point of near tedium) research, it seriously bugged me that Henry held a mixed gender dinner party without even a female relative to play hostess.
So there you have it, folks! A mix of 'not for me' and 'yeah...that was just bad.' If I wasn't in the middle of two other Austen related books, I think I could confidently say this just killed off any desire I have to continue on this Austen-themed kick.
And this book contains a lot of stupid conflict.
For example: you live in the future and need to send two people back in time to pose as siblings to woo Jane Austen & fam. So what do you do?
Well, for one, you'd think you would find two people who can, I dunno, pass as siblings. Apparently Rachel and Liam don't look much alike because people keep doubting their sibling status.
And for two, you'd think you would find two people freakin' mature enough not to give into their lust and endanger the entire mission by becoming lovers while posing as siblings. Just a thought.
And for three, if you're sending said people back into a racist & anti-Semitic era, maybe don't send someone (or two someones) who would become a target of such attitudes.
But if the future scientists sending said time travelers thought these things through, this book would lose most of its conflict. And then where would we be? (Much happier.)
Despite my general annoyance with books that fictionalize real-life people, I enjoyed the portrayal of Jane Austen and her family. Even my obsessive knowledge of all things Jane Austen did not distract me from the storyline, which demonstrates strong research on the part of the author and an understanding of her topic. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of the main characters. Rachel and Liam drove me to distraction. Or at least, Rachel does and Liam doesn't help.
She's a "thoroughly modern woman" who sleeps around and avoids commitment because...reasons. She gets testy about sexism (because who would see THAT coming in a mission to the 1800s) and whines when females prefer her erstwhile brother to herself. Her sexual flirtation with Jane Austen's brother made me seriously uncomfortable (poor Henry, I will never look at you the same) and her thing with Liam was just...ugh.
Also, despite the author's obviously thorough (to the point of near tedium) research, it seriously bugged me that Henry held a mixed gender dinner party without even a female relative to play hostess.
So there you have it, folks! A mix of 'not for me' and 'yeah...that was just bad.' If I wasn't in the middle of two other Austen related books, I think I could confidently say this just killed off any desire I have to continue on this Austen-themed kick.
July 15, 2022
Smart, engaging and excellent fun - would highly recommend.
September 15, 2017
Hmm.
A summary: doctor, Austen-aficionado, and Jewish atheist Rachel Katzman and former actor, regency scholar, "low-born" Irish-posing as hoity-toity Old British Liam Finucane are selected to go back in time to 1815 and retrieve additional Austen letters as well as the thought-incomplete manuscript of The Watsons.
Hmm.
They go back in time and begin the process of ingratiating themselves in with Henry Austen (Jane's fave bro) with a forged letter of introduction and an invitation to dinner. After barging into Henry's house while he's indisposed, they unexpectedly meet the author herself. And then history begins to go a bit wrong.
HMM.
Here are my Things with this book:
1. I am no Austen scholar, so I cannot and will not weigh in on historical accuracy or gut-feeling diagnoses or characterization of the Austens. But they are there and there are some very interesting portrayals given of people who did live and breath and die at some point in our huge history. Yes, fiction and all that, but.
2. It's also a time travel book. And I'm pretty forgiving of time travel books and time travel theories and multiverse and what-have-you, but I don't know that I ever fully bought into the ending of this book. Like, they pop out a wormhole into...a different future. And that's about all the explanation you get: Rachael did a Thing and then More Things and now Things are Different. The end.
Which just felt kind of disappointing.
Especially when you get into the very real question marks of time travel early in the book when Rachael begins to realize all the tiny things they're doing that could change history: leasing a house; paying servants; buying goods; paying merchants; minor counterfeiting. It's the whole you-killed-a-damn-bug-now-the-future-sucks thing, except there's not a clear through-line to which of those inconsequential things led to the future they eventually emerge in.
3. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the book, because I was 100% there for some regency-hijinks with JANE AUSTEN being JANE AUSTEN all up in here!!!
4. Rachael didn't feel like a complete character. She at one point characterizes herself as "extremely straightforward" but so much of who and what she was felt underdrawn and underdeveloped. And she talks herself out of doing or saying quite a few things that were clearly only there to draw out the plot and just.
5. I ... was unmoved by the relationship between Rachael and Liam as well? ALLEGEDLY, Liam is basically in love with Rachael since they first meet at training for The Jane Austen Project but a) we do not meet them at the academy; and b) Liam is a goddamned closed book until 2/3 of the way through the story that I just never got around to thinking there was anything going on.
6. The thing that really threw me out of the story, though, was the ... tone, for lack of a better term. And it's partially characterization (since this is told from Rachel's first person POV) and partially plotting and partially just...odd narrative choices.
Which is to say: the sexual content. Is just. So awkward.
And that's coming from someone who feels the uncontrollable urge to mention boners in just about every review (boners). There's something not quite right about the very intense, practical narration of The Jane Austen Project paired with lines like "As I studied him in the candlelight, I felt horniness giving way to compassion." or "Before I could speak, he shoved me into my room, using not just his hands but his whole body, an opportunity to kiss the nape of my neck and thrust a still-notable erection into the small of my back." I stumbled, reader, right out of the story and into ???-ville.
I mean, in addition to the heroine's interjections about the state of her boners, there's the fact that Henry Austen is cast as a hornswaggled charmer who ends up with his nose in Rachael's cleavage after proposing, and immediately sets about getting her breasts out. (GET IT, HENRY.)
(There's a paragraph in the final chapter where the heroine waxes poetic about modern toilets and how they "cleaned [her] ass with a spray of warm water, firm but gentle." Which: COOL. I judge not toilet habits of others. But that line just does not seem to fit in with any of the rest of the story???
7. Rachael did not get to be enough of a bad-ass doctor. :\
8. "I shied and stretched, falling out of his arms and to my feet in one graceless motion, stumbling into him. He took the opportunity to kiss me on the forehead and furtively squeeze my left breast before he stepped back and twined his arm in mine."
I MEAN JUST WHAT.
A summary: doctor, Austen-aficionado, and Jewish atheist Rachel Katzman and former actor, regency scholar, "low-born" Irish-posing as hoity-toity Old British Liam Finucane are selected to go back in time to 1815 and retrieve additional Austen letters as well as the thought-incomplete manuscript of The Watsons.
Hmm.
They go back in time and begin the process of ingratiating themselves in with Henry Austen (Jane's fave bro) with a forged letter of introduction and an invitation to dinner. After barging into Henry's house while he's indisposed, they unexpectedly meet the author herself. And then history begins to go a bit wrong.
HMM.
Here are my Things with this book:
1. I am no Austen scholar, so I cannot and will not weigh in on historical accuracy or gut-feeling diagnoses or characterization of the Austens. But they are there and there are some very interesting portrayals given of people who did live and breath and die at some point in our huge history. Yes, fiction and all that, but.
2. It's also a time travel book. And I'm pretty forgiving of time travel books and time travel theories and multiverse and what-have-you, but I don't know that I ever fully bought into the ending of this book. Like, they pop out a wormhole into...a different future. And that's about all the explanation you get: Rachael did a Thing and then More Things and now Things are Different. The end.
Which just felt kind of disappointing.
Especially when you get into the very real question marks of time travel early in the book when Rachael begins to realize all the tiny things they're doing that could change history: leasing a house; paying servants; buying goods; paying merchants; minor counterfeiting. It's the whole you-killed-a-damn-bug-now-the-future-sucks thing, except there's not a clear through-line to which of those inconsequential things led to the future they eventually emerge in.
3. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the book, because I was 100% there for some regency-hijinks with JANE AUSTEN being JANE AUSTEN all up in here!!!
4. Rachael didn't feel like a complete character. She at one point characterizes herself as "extremely straightforward" but so much of who and what she was felt underdrawn and underdeveloped. And she talks herself out of doing or saying quite a few things that were clearly only there to draw out the plot and just.
5. I ... was unmoved by the relationship between Rachael and Liam as well? ALLEGEDLY, Liam is basically in love with Rachael since they first meet at training for The Jane Austen Project but a) we do not meet them at the academy; and b) Liam is a goddamned closed book until 2/3 of the way through the story that I just never got around to thinking there was anything going on.
6. The thing that really threw me out of the story, though, was the ... tone, for lack of a better term. And it's partially characterization (since this is told from Rachel's first person POV) and partially plotting and partially just...odd narrative choices.
Which is to say: the sexual content. Is just. So awkward.
And that's coming from someone who feels the uncontrollable urge to mention boners in just about every review (boners). There's something not quite right about the very intense, practical narration of The Jane Austen Project paired with lines like "As I studied him in the candlelight, I felt horniness giving way to compassion." or "Before I could speak, he shoved me into my room, using not just his hands but his whole body, an opportunity to kiss the nape of my neck and thrust a still-notable erection into the small of my back." I stumbled, reader, right out of the story and into ???-ville.
I mean, in addition to the heroine's interjections about the state of her boners, there's the fact that Henry Austen is cast as a hornswaggled charmer who ends up with his nose in Rachael's cleavage after proposing, and immediately sets about getting her breasts out. (GET IT, HENRY.)
(There's a paragraph in the final chapter where the heroine waxes poetic about modern toilets and how they "cleaned [her] ass with a spray of warm water, firm but gentle." Which: COOL. I judge not toilet habits of others. But that line just does not seem to fit in with any of the rest of the story???
7. Rachael did not get to be enough of a bad-ass doctor. :\
8. "I shied and stretched, falling out of his arms and to my feet in one graceless motion, stumbling into him. He took the opportunity to kiss me on the forehead and furtively squeeze my left breast before he stepped back and twined his arm in mine."
I MEAN JUST WHAT.
July 28, 2020
3 Stars.
WHAT I liked about this book?
1- Its title and cover.
2- It is about Jane Austen and who doesn't love Jane Austen??
3- It is a combination of time travel and historical romance.
WHAT I didn't like about this book?
1- It attracted me at the beginning , then it became so slow and boring.
2- It will affect readers point of view when they read afterwards any book about Jane Austen and her family.
3- The end was a little bit confusing .
4- I didn't feel that there was any chemistry between Rachel and Liam.
5- I regret the time I spent reading this book.
WHAT I liked about this book?
1- Its title and cover.
2- It is about Jane Austen and who doesn't love Jane Austen??
3- It is a combination of time travel and historical romance.
WHAT I didn't like about this book?
1- It attracted me at the beginning , then it became so slow and boring.
2- It will affect readers point of view when they read afterwards any book about Jane Austen and her family.
3- The end was a little bit confusing .
4- I didn't feel that there was any chemistry between Rachel and Liam.
5- I regret the time I spent reading this book.
May 31, 2017
Traveling Back in Time To Seek the Big Unanswered Questions of Jane Austen’s Life!
Imagine being sent on a mission to travel back in time to meet Jane Austen! To meet her in the year 1815 and retrieve – not only many of lost letters that Cassandra destroyed before her death – but a full-length manuscript of The Watsons that Jane Austen herself destroyed before her death!
In a highly risky and rigorous mission, Dr. Rachel Katzman and her colleague, Liam Finucane – after many months of study, practice, and preparation – are about to embark on a one year exhibition to 1815. In order to have any chance of success on their mission, they must ingratiate themselves with the Austen family and become welcomed friends in their homes. Posing as a brother and sister who just recently relocated to England after selling their sugar plantation in Jamaica, Rachel and Liam seek an introduction to Henry Austen, who, if they play they card rights will introduce them to Jane Austen.
Even after a mishap or two, Rachel and Liam find themselves exactly where they wished to be – close friends with Henry and Jane Austen. But this doesn’t mean their success is guaranteed. For one thing, several members of the Austen family aren’t entirely welcoming or warm towards them. In addition, even though they are friends with Jane Austen, extracting private documents from her room isn’t easy work. And lastly, one of the main directives for time travel is to not change history in a significant way. This rule becomes very challenging for our time travelers to follow, and both start to panic when they feel that some of the small ripples of change they made in the lives of others might inadvertently be changing history.
Oh wow – Jane Austen, time travel, a precarious secret mission, a completed but then destroyed manuscript of The Watsons?!? This story had me spellbound from the first page. The premise is brilliant – our time travelers are searching for the answers to questions we have always asked – Why wasn’t The Watsons completed? What is in those letters Cassandra destroyed? But what really kept me turning pages was how skillfully and thoughtfully it was all executed. It is very evident that Kathleen Flynn did an enormous amount of research for this tale. She knew all the minute details of the Austens’s lives around this time (such as when someone fell ill or traveled), and adeptly illustrated the big and small ways 1815 would look and feel different to someone from the future (such as how women would never act with authority). And I thought her portrayals of the Austen family and their dynamics towards each other felt utterly spot on.
Aside from it being a very riveting story that left me wondering how it would all end, what I enjoyed most about this tale was our two main characters and their interactions with each other. Rachel is adventurous, intelligent, and kind of anti-monogamy/marriage. Liam is a little aloof, sensitive, and currently engaged to another woman. At first both are just working towards completing the mission and making an important discovery, but the complexities of their situation – the emotional isolation, the close quarters – begins to develop their relationship in a new direction… What will that mean when they return to the future? (Providing they do make it back to the future…)
While I adored so much of this time travel tale, my one small quibble is that the ending felt a little bit rushed. There were many questions that were answered and explained in a short period of time, but with one aspect of the conclusion I felt there was too little said (my romantic heart always wants more!). Regardless of my small quibble, I found The Jane Austen Project to be an enthralling and well-crafted adventure full of mystery, history, authenticity, and romance! A great choice for readers who long for the chance to travel back in time and meet Jane Austen! I sincerely hope we see more from Ms. Flynn soon!
Note: With some uses of adult language and adult situations, I’d recommend this book for Mature Audiences.
Austenesque Reviews
Imagine being sent on a mission to travel back in time to meet Jane Austen! To meet her in the year 1815 and retrieve – not only many of lost letters that Cassandra destroyed before her death – but a full-length manuscript of The Watsons that Jane Austen herself destroyed before her death!
In a highly risky and rigorous mission, Dr. Rachel Katzman and her colleague, Liam Finucane – after many months of study, practice, and preparation – are about to embark on a one year exhibition to 1815. In order to have any chance of success on their mission, they must ingratiate themselves with the Austen family and become welcomed friends in their homes. Posing as a brother and sister who just recently relocated to England after selling their sugar plantation in Jamaica, Rachel and Liam seek an introduction to Henry Austen, who, if they play they card rights will introduce them to Jane Austen.
Even after a mishap or two, Rachel and Liam find themselves exactly where they wished to be – close friends with Henry and Jane Austen. But this doesn’t mean their success is guaranteed. For one thing, several members of the Austen family aren’t entirely welcoming or warm towards them. In addition, even though they are friends with Jane Austen, extracting private documents from her room isn’t easy work. And lastly, one of the main directives for time travel is to not change history in a significant way. This rule becomes very challenging for our time travelers to follow, and both start to panic when they feel that some of the small ripples of change they made in the lives of others might inadvertently be changing history.
Oh wow – Jane Austen, time travel, a precarious secret mission, a completed but then destroyed manuscript of The Watsons?!? This story had me spellbound from the first page. The premise is brilliant – our time travelers are searching for the answers to questions we have always asked – Why wasn’t The Watsons completed? What is in those letters Cassandra destroyed? But what really kept me turning pages was how skillfully and thoughtfully it was all executed. It is very evident that Kathleen Flynn did an enormous amount of research for this tale. She knew all the minute details of the Austens’s lives around this time (such as when someone fell ill or traveled), and adeptly illustrated the big and small ways 1815 would look and feel different to someone from the future (such as how women would never act with authority). And I thought her portrayals of the Austen family and their dynamics towards each other felt utterly spot on.
Aside from it being a very riveting story that left me wondering how it would all end, what I enjoyed most about this tale was our two main characters and their interactions with each other. Rachel is adventurous, intelligent, and kind of anti-monogamy/marriage. Liam is a little aloof, sensitive, and currently engaged to another woman. At first both are just working towards completing the mission and making an important discovery, but the complexities of their situation – the emotional isolation, the close quarters – begins to develop their relationship in a new direction… What will that mean when they return to the future? (Providing they do make it back to the future…)
While I adored so much of this time travel tale, my one small quibble is that the ending felt a little bit rushed. There were many questions that were answered and explained in a short period of time, but with one aspect of the conclusion I felt there was too little said (my romantic heart always wants more!). Regardless of my small quibble, I found The Jane Austen Project to be an enthralling and well-crafted adventure full of mystery, history, authenticity, and romance! A great choice for readers who long for the chance to travel back in time and meet Jane Austen! I sincerely hope we see more from Ms. Flynn soon!
Note: With some uses of adult language and adult situations, I’d recommend this book for Mature Audiences.
Austenesque Reviews
March 26, 2019
SO.
I was actually a bit nervous going in to this since most of my friends on Goodreads who've read it didn't like it very much, if at all, but I liked it quite a bit! I acquired it when a friend was moving a while back and basically let me have free reign on her bookshelves (such a good haul), and then ignored it until I pulled it out of my TBR Jar for February. Though I shake my head at the way the time travel works in this book, the actual mechanics of it, the focus is really on our two characters insinuating themselves into the lives of Jane Austen and her family, and that part works beautifully.
I was impressed with the level of historical detail here. Our main character, Rachel, and her companion Liam are time-traveling to Austen's era in order to obtain the full manuscript of The Watsons, which was previously thought unfinished, but a recently surfaced letter between Jane and her beloved sister Cassandra indicates otherwise. Their job is to become experts in Regency England, insert themselves into Jane's life as smoothly as possible, and quietly claim the manuscript (and all of the letters between Jane and Cassandra that were famously burned after Jane's early death, so that her life could remain private).
So not only are they there to violate her trust and privacy by lying about their identities and stealing from her, they're also going to purposely reveal her private life to the world, and to history. Rachel and her colleagues view themselves as scholars doing this for knowledge, but once they're there, she and Liam (who are posing as brother and sister) have to deal with the reality of their subjects being actual people. The conflict in the book comes from their simultaneous affection for the time period and their new "friends", and their desire to complete their mission.
What I loved most about this book was Jane herself. I was really worried that in trying to portray this famous woman, Flynn would overcompensate, or misunderstand, but I found her depiction of Jane Austen to be lovely and nuanced. The contradiction between Rachel and Liam's very modern values and the mores and customs of Regency England also gave me a kick.
As mentioned previously, the time travel itself bothered me. I was at first intrigued and pleased by the way they discussed interfering in history. It's been a month now, and I don't have my copy with me to reference at the moment, but basically as variants into history, they were constantly monitoring the "probability field," and worried about what actions of theirs might alter it so much that irreparable damage might be done. The part that bothered me were the rules surrounding potential alternate universes (it vaguely follows the idea of the multiverse theory of time travel that posits for every possible choice, there is a universe created where that choice was made). But the rules about memory were extremely unclear to me. What ends up happening to our characters did not make the most sense to me, which was bothersome because up until that point the book had been done very well. Time travel for me is always tricky, because I read and watch a lot of it, and I have very definitely opinions about what makes sense mechanics-wise and what doesn't. This mostly didn't for me.
But overall, I can safely recommend this for fan's of Miss Austen and her books. It's one of the few Austen "fanfics" I've actively enjoyed, mostly because it's not really Austen fanfic, and more historical fiction disguised as speculative fiction.
I was actually a bit nervous going in to this since most of my friends on Goodreads who've read it didn't like it very much, if at all, but I liked it quite a bit! I acquired it when a friend was moving a while back and basically let me have free reign on her bookshelves (such a good haul), and then ignored it until I pulled it out of my TBR Jar for February. Though I shake my head at the way the time travel works in this book, the actual mechanics of it, the focus is really on our two characters insinuating themselves into the lives of Jane Austen and her family, and that part works beautifully.
I was impressed with the level of historical detail here. Our main character, Rachel, and her companion Liam are time-traveling to Austen's era in order to obtain the full manuscript of The Watsons, which was previously thought unfinished, but a recently surfaced letter between Jane and her beloved sister Cassandra indicates otherwise. Their job is to become experts in Regency England, insert themselves into Jane's life as smoothly as possible, and quietly claim the manuscript (and all of the letters between Jane and Cassandra that were famously burned after Jane's early death, so that her life could remain private).
So not only are they there to violate her trust and privacy by lying about their identities and stealing from her, they're also going to purposely reveal her private life to the world, and to history. Rachel and her colleagues view themselves as scholars doing this for knowledge, but once they're there, she and Liam (who are posing as brother and sister) have to deal with the reality of their subjects being actual people. The conflict in the book comes from their simultaneous affection for the time period and their new "friends", and their desire to complete their mission.
What I loved most about this book was Jane herself. I was really worried that in trying to portray this famous woman, Flynn would overcompensate, or misunderstand, but I found her depiction of Jane Austen to be lovely and nuanced. The contradiction between Rachel and Liam's very modern values and the mores and customs of Regency England also gave me a kick.
As mentioned previously, the time travel itself bothered me. I was at first intrigued and pleased by the way they discussed interfering in history. It's been a month now, and I don't have my copy with me to reference at the moment, but basically as variants into history, they were constantly monitoring the "probability field," and worried about what actions of theirs might alter it so much that irreparable damage might be done. The part that bothered me were the rules surrounding potential alternate universes (it vaguely follows the idea of the multiverse theory of time travel that posits for every possible choice, there is a universe created where that choice was made). But the rules about memory were extremely unclear to me. What ends up happening to our characters did not make the most sense to me, which was bothersome because up until that point the book had been done very well. Time travel for me is always tricky, because I read and watch a lot of it, and I have very definitely opinions about what makes sense mechanics-wise and what doesn't. This mostly didn't for me.
But overall, I can safely recommend this for fan's of Miss Austen and her books. It's one of the few Austen "fanfics" I've actively enjoyed, mostly because it's not really Austen fanfic, and more historical fiction disguised as speculative fiction.
December 16, 2017
This is worth reading for Austen fans. What Jane Austen lover wouldn't want to meet her? Flynn wrote an interesting concept with time travel and romance. Thoroughly enjoyable and engaging.
June 27, 2017
It seems almost a disservice to tag this novel with the “Austenesque” or “Jane Austen fan fiction” label; so much of that genre is rife with romance-novel clichés and historical errors. There is some romance in this story, for sure, but it is well embedded in the action and the plot has meatier elements. There is a sci-fi element to the story as well that brings in speculation on more serious issues. For all that, it’s fun to read and propels the reader through a suspenseful storyline. A satisfying experience all around.
Two travelers from the near future (maybe the twenty-second century but not specified) are selected by a mysterious institute to time-travel to the year 1815. Their mission: to find a previously unknown Jane Austen novel (a completed version of The Watsons) and get copies of the letters that Austen’s sister destroyed at her death. Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane pose as a brother and sister from Jamaica with a letter of introduction to Henry Austen, Jane Austen’s banker brother. They must set themselves up as wealthy (former) plantation owners in Regency London and insinuate themselves into the Austen family circle in order to achieve their goal.
The author adeptly paints a rich portrait of Regency England, with all its mud and coal dust and noise and poverty, as it would be experienced by two people from the future. The settings feel believable, and the progress of the outsiders’ acceptance into the Austen circle is very well handled. And once Jane herself comes on the scene, the stakes are raised and the story takes on a tension that drives the reader onward.
Rachel and Liam are very concerned that their actions should not disrupt the course of history, and their worries about the effects of their presence in 1815 lend another dimension to the tale—familiar enough terrain for sci-fi fans, but not so often found in romantic fiction. All the characters are fully realized, and Jane especially is a delightful and vivid personage, totally the Jane Austen of my imagination. I loved the complications and dilemmas, the twists and shockers of the plot. I won’t tell you more because you need to discover what happens for yourself.
This is a highly accomplished debut novel, a guilty pleasure without the guilt, as if low-fat ice cream turned out to be actually delicious. If you enjoy historical fiction of any kind, you should enjoy this book.
Two travelers from the near future (maybe the twenty-second century but not specified) are selected by a mysterious institute to time-travel to the year 1815. Their mission: to find a previously unknown Jane Austen novel (a completed version of The Watsons) and get copies of the letters that Austen’s sister destroyed at her death. Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane pose as a brother and sister from Jamaica with a letter of introduction to Henry Austen, Jane Austen’s banker brother. They must set themselves up as wealthy (former) plantation owners in Regency London and insinuate themselves into the Austen family circle in order to achieve their goal.
The author adeptly paints a rich portrait of Regency England, with all its mud and coal dust and noise and poverty, as it would be experienced by two people from the future. The settings feel believable, and the progress of the outsiders’ acceptance into the Austen circle is very well handled. And once Jane herself comes on the scene, the stakes are raised and the story takes on a tension that drives the reader onward.
Rachel and Liam are very concerned that their actions should not disrupt the course of history, and their worries about the effects of their presence in 1815 lend another dimension to the tale—familiar enough terrain for sci-fi fans, but not so often found in romantic fiction. All the characters are fully realized, and Jane especially is a delightful and vivid personage, totally the Jane Austen of my imagination. I loved the complications and dilemmas, the twists and shockers of the plot. I won’t tell you more because you need to discover what happens for yourself.
This is a highly accomplished debut novel, a guilty pleasure without the guilt, as if low-fat ice cream turned out to be actually delicious. If you enjoy historical fiction of any kind, you should enjoy this book.
November 3, 2023
У Рейчел и Лиама из будущего важная миссия: они отправляются в 1815 год, чтобы втереться в доверие и выкрасть у Джейн Остен рукопись сожженного ею романа «Уотсоны». Оба они обожают мисс Остен, оба прошли строгий отбор и тщательно проинструктированы, что менять в прошлом ничего категорически нельзя. Но когда на твоих глазах тощий мальчишка чуть не гибнет в дымоходе, любезнейший Генри Остен вот-вот потеряет все свои деньги, а напарник по спецзаданию пахнет лавандой, устоять бывает сложновато.
Ой, это такая классная книжка. Мне очень понравились:
а) темп, как будто это настоящий приключенческий роман;
б) баланс будущего и прошлого, и без утомительных деталей обстановки и проработки фона, story comes first;
в) отсутствие чопорности и ханжества, но и не перебор с бойкостью: ученые из будущего знают, как правильно вести себя в приличном обществе, но и наедине не превращаются в разнузданных тинейджеров;
г) финал! (хотя я, возможно, тут бы предпочла подробностей!)
Вот что я называю comfort reading.
Ой, это такая классная книжка. Мне очень понравились:
а) темп, как будто это настоящий приключенческий роман;
б) баланс будущего и прошлого, и без утомительных деталей обстановки и проработки фона, story comes first;
в) отсутствие чопорности и ханжества, но и не перебор с бойкостью: ученые из будущего знают, как правильно вести себя в приличном обществе, но и наедине не превращаются в разнузданных тинейджеров;
г) финал! (хотя я, возможно, тут бы предпочла подробностей!)
Вот что я называю comfort reading.
July 10, 2017
This one completely surprised me. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN! July seems to be my Time Travel genre month and I really enjoyed this one. My mind loved all the possibilities of "What If's" that are explored; especially as Rachel (a doctor) attempts to piece together what the mystery illness that took Jane Austen's life so early was. My heart hurt and chest felt tight as I drew towards the end of the book. Flynn really made Jane Austen seem like a person to me; not the stodgy remote author that I know vague things about. Flynn made me care about her and grieve our loss of such a brilliant, intellectual woman.
Here's the thing. I haven't read all of Jane Austen's books. I'm not really a super fan of her work. I'm more fascinated with the woman who wrote them in a time period where women didn't have many rights and took a back seat in a patriarchal society. The author intrigues me so much and I think that is why I enjoyed this book so much.
June 4, 2017
When I picked up The Jane Austen Project I truly did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. While I have read most, not all, of Austen's works, I'm not a huge fan. What I do enjoy is time travel when it is done well - and this book does it incredibly well!
Dr. Rachel Katzman and her actor colleague are sent back in time from the future to find an unpublished Austen novel and, hopefully, to diagnose the illness that led to Austen's premature death. Their mission is not to set off the "butterfly effect" of affecting history that will change the future. Of course we all know that is impossible.
Katzman does, in fact, meet and ingratiate herself to Austen and her family and, well, the rest would be spoilers. ;)
As a historian I loved the fact that this era of England and its countryside is told with very much accuracy. It was a time of change, with one foot still mired in filth and poverty and the other heading toward the Industrial Revolution that changed this part of England forever. A lot of well-done research went into the book and I appreciated it. It was also well written - the language the of the time was not too overdone. By the end of the book I wasn't ready to leave these characters or the time period which is the sign of a good novel.
If you are an Austen fan then most certainly you would love this book. If you like time-travel I think you would as well. For everyone else, it's a gamble but still I would recommend it. Like me, you may be pleasantly surprised. OH - and for the romance lovers... there is a very nice one here as well. :)
Dr. Rachel Katzman and her actor colleague are sent back in time from the future to find an unpublished Austen novel and, hopefully, to diagnose the illness that led to Austen's premature death. Their mission is not to set off the "butterfly effect" of affecting history that will change the future. Of course we all know that is impossible.
Katzman does, in fact, meet and ingratiate herself to Austen and her family and, well, the rest would be spoilers. ;)
As a historian I loved the fact that this era of England and its countryside is told with very much accuracy. It was a time of change, with one foot still mired in filth and poverty and the other heading toward the Industrial Revolution that changed this part of England forever. A lot of well-done research went into the book and I appreciated it. It was also well written - the language the of the time was not too overdone. By the end of the book I wasn't ready to leave these characters or the time period which is the sign of a good novel.
If you are an Austen fan then most certainly you would love this book. If you like time-travel I think you would as well. For everyone else, it's a gamble but still I would recommend it. Like me, you may be pleasantly surprised. OH - and for the romance lovers... there is a very nice one here as well. :)
September 9, 2017
Very enjoyable time travel, back to Jane Austin's time. A couple of future people are sent back to find the lost letters of Jane Austin. The comparisons, the reality of life then and the futuristic was awakening to the characters and me. If was easy to fall into the world created by this author. Even more fascinating was the world the travelers came from, returned to and the changes that happened from their interferences and influences. So many changes, from so little time, it made me think about all the possibilities.
I picked this up wanting more Jane Austin, as a fan it's required. Check the fan manual. LOL. As I went along with this audiobook it became more about these two people and their lives so fluid. Jane, was more of a off to the side character to me. The author did an excellent job of making feel realistic. I would love to read more works from her.
I picked this up wanting more Jane Austin, as a fan it's required. Check the fan manual. LOL. As I went along with this audiobook it became more about these two people and their lives so fluid. Jane, was more of a off to the side character to me. The author did an excellent job of making feel realistic. I would love to read more works from her.
July 25, 2020
THOUGHT PROVOKING, INTERESTING TAKE ON TIME TRAVEL AND JANE AUSTEN'S LIFE
I was of two minds when I started this book. On the one hand, I love everything Jane Austen, so I was excited for a new take on her life. On the other hand, I didn't know how to feel about the thought of time travel in connection with Jane Austen... Turns out, I actually quite liked it!
👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍
Premise: Yeah, I was hesitant about the premise at first. Time travelers go back in time to study Jane Austen and safe some of her letters as well as a manuscript. Sounded a bit weird, to be honest. But once I got into it, it was actually really fun and different - and I love something that's different. As long as it is done well, that is, which this is.
The Austens: This being a story of Jane Austen's last year of life, her family of course play a major part of the story. I really liked how Jane and her family were portrayed, I liked the family dynamic. I felt like it was very realistic and went well with the idea I myself had of the family.
Ending: The ending gave me a lot to think about. Time travel fiction always does that, but this was particularly thought provoking.
👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎
Romance: Rachel and Liam are our two main protagonists and time travelers from the future. Though they are colleagues and pose as siblings, romance blossoms between them. Only... I wasn't quite feeling it. It felt slightly stilted and was hard to get into.
I was of two minds when I started this book. On the one hand, I love everything Jane Austen, so I was excited for a new take on her life. On the other hand, I didn't know how to feel about the thought of time travel in connection with Jane Austen... Turns out, I actually quite liked it!
👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍
Premise: Yeah, I was hesitant about the premise at first. Time travelers go back in time to study Jane Austen and safe some of her letters as well as a manuscript. Sounded a bit weird, to be honest. But once I got into it, it was actually really fun and different - and I love something that's different. As long as it is done well, that is, which this is.
The Austens: This being a story of Jane Austen's last year of life, her family of course play a major part of the story. I really liked how Jane and her family were portrayed, I liked the family dynamic. I felt like it was very realistic and went well with the idea I myself had of the family.
Ending: The ending gave me a lot to think about. Time travel fiction always does that, but this was particularly thought provoking.
👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎
Romance: Rachel and Liam are our two main protagonists and time travelers from the future. Though they are colleagues and pose as siblings, romance blossoms between them. Only... I wasn't quite feeling it. It felt slightly stilted and was hard to get into.
May 27, 2017
Ένα ταξίδι στο χρόνο με σκοπό να βρεθεί ένα ανέκδοτο μυθιστόρημα της Τζέιν Όστιν. Ευφυές και καλογραμμένο, αν και η πλοκή αργεί να πάρει μπρος και οι χαρακτήρες είναι κάπως προσποιητοί και γενικά δεν πείθουν απόλυτα. Δεν ξέρω κατά πόσο θα ενδιαφέρει αυτούς που δεν έχουν διαβάσει Όστιν (ή δεν τους αρέσει).
July 6, 2017
Very glad to be finished with this book. I alternated between being bored with it and frustrated by it. I loved the concept but the execution left a lot to be desired.
December 19, 2020
Travel back in time and hang out with Jane Austen? Count me in! A delightful, entertaining novel.
December 17, 2017
Dr. Rachel Katzman and actor Liam Finucane are transported from the near future back to Regency England to rescue an unpublished Jane Austen manuscript and bring it back to their time. Kathleen A. Flynn writes a spellbinding tale, recreating the sights, smells, and life from the early 19th century for the modern time-travelers, yet hints with powerful snippets of the existence they left behind. The author does not hit the reader over the head with explanations. We know the world has changed. There has been some sort of catastrophe, everyone is vegan, as there is no meat, animals are rare, and we see the future as a crisp, impersonal society. Yet, Rachel and Liam, two very different people, are achingly, endearingly human. This book travels up and down two hundred and fifty years or thereabout, and slowly we understand the human condition has not changed, no matter how circumstances are different.
Rachel or Mary, as she is known in the past, and William slide right into Jane Austen's world, becoming part of her society. The Austen's are delightful, , portrayed as a loving and diverse family, with jealousies, in-fighting, and family secrets. Jane's calming influence, her keen intellect, her wit and warmth bring the same humor as her famous characters. I loved them all, from her charming brother, to the pompous Cassandra, vividly illustrated with depth. Flynn uses a deft hand restraining from depicting them as cartoonish.
This is a romance between Jane Austen and the reader. Rachel and Liam are bystanders pulled into her orbit, influenced by the woman and her world, proving love, as well as Jane Austen is timeless.
Rachel or Mary, as she is known in the past, and William slide right into Jane Austen's world, becoming part of her society. The Austen's are delightful, , portrayed as a loving and diverse family, with jealousies, in-fighting, and family secrets. Jane's calming influence, her keen intellect, her wit and warmth bring the same humor as her famous characters. I loved them all, from her charming brother, to the pompous Cassandra, vividly illustrated with depth. Flynn uses a deft hand restraining from depicting them as cartoonish.
This is a romance between Jane Austen and the reader. Rachel and Liam are bystanders pulled into her orbit, influenced by the woman and her world, proving love, as well as Jane Austen is timeless.
September 27, 2017
This is a truly different time travel story. Initially set in the undefined future there had been a supersized natural disaster which apparently changed our world significantly. There are hints and clues about this future but no bogging down details. Rachel and Liam have been selected to go, via time travel, back to Regency England track down Jane Austen and her letters and her COMPLETE manuscript for the Watsons.
What the author does really well is giving you enough information about how it works, how they will get back and how they will live without bogging down the story in minutia about the previous topics. Rachel Katzman , who will be Mary Ravenswood, is a doctor who will pretend to be an empty headed miss; while Liam Finucane an actor, becomes Dr William Ravenswood and will pretend to be one. Their plan is get to London, establish themselves, meet Henry Austen, get introduced to Jane and get to Chawton.
They have loads of money, a forged letter of introduction, hours of instruction and a lot of bravado. One of the things they must consider is how everything they do may effect the future. And they are never sure how many ripples they are causing.
They meet Henry and then Jane. Henry falls hard for Mary Ravenswood. An simple action gets them invited to Chawton to stay with Edward Knight which gives them endless access to Jane.
They struggle with situations, emotions and lies while trying to complete their mission and get back to their time.
What the author does really well is giving you enough information about how it works, how they will get back and how they will live without bogging down the story in minutia about the previous topics. Rachel Katzman , who will be Mary Ravenswood, is a doctor who will pretend to be an empty headed miss; while Liam Finucane an actor, becomes Dr William Ravenswood and will pretend to be one. Their plan is get to London, establish themselves, meet Henry Austen, get introduced to Jane and get to Chawton.
They have loads of money, a forged letter of introduction, hours of instruction and a lot of bravado. One of the things they must consider is how everything they do may effect the future. And they are never sure how many ripples they are causing.
They meet Henry and then Jane. Henry falls hard for Mary Ravenswood. An simple action gets them invited to Chawton to stay with Edward Knight which gives them endless access to Jane.
They struggle with situations, emotions and lies while trying to complete their mission and get back to their time.
September 18, 2017
Brilliant mix of two of my favorite things--Jane Austen and time travel. Rachel is a thoroughly modern woman who travels back to 1815. I loved her character, so frankly sexual and bemused by the staid mores of Austen's world. Liam is equally as intriguing; we never know his thoughts because like a Captain Wentworth or a Mr. Knightly he is a gentleman. Together they plunge themselves into the past.
January 30, 2019
It’s every Austenite’s dream of discovering a lost manuscript by Jane Austen—nay—to travel back in time and meet the great author! In “The Jane Austen Project” our world has recovered from the apocalypse and is super high tech—from creating food via 3D machines to time travel. When a letter by Austen has been discovered stating she has finished her novel “The Watsons” (and all we’ve ever known is the existing few chapters), two Austen fans, an accomplished writer/actor and a medical doctor, are selected to travel back in time to befriend Austen and find that completed manuscript...with the caveat, do nothing that might change the future. But how is that possible—and what are the consequences resulting from their activities in 1815 when (if) they return back to the future? Further, our time travelers are charming and believable, and their interaction with each other and the Austens sets a fast pace that had me anxious and cheering well into the wee hours.
Jane Austen died at 42 from some unconfirmed but highly speculated illness, leaving only Six major works in her canon. That her sister Cassandra burned much of her correspondence only fuels the intrigue surrounding Austen, giving fans through the ages much to ponder about her personal life and her plot and character inspirations. Who hasn’t dreamt of going back in time and meeting Austen to try and answer some of these unknowns? “The Jane Austen Project” is an edgy contemporary intrigue that fulfills just such a fantasy. Should totally consider writing a Bronte time travel.
Fans of “The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen” by Syrie James will adore this smart scifi-historical fiction. I’m just sorry it took me so long to finally read it.
Jane Austen died at 42 from some unconfirmed but highly speculated illness, leaving only Six major works in her canon. That her sister Cassandra burned much of her correspondence only fuels the intrigue surrounding Austen, giving fans through the ages much to ponder about her personal life and her plot and character inspirations. Who hasn’t dreamt of going back in time and meeting Austen to try and answer some of these unknowns? “The Jane Austen Project” is an edgy contemporary intrigue that fulfills just such a fantasy. Should totally consider writing a Bronte time travel.
Fans of “The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen” by Syrie James will adore this smart scifi-historical fiction. I’m just sorry it took me so long to finally read it.
December 10, 2018
Look, I mean, if I wanted to steal borrow from Jane Austen and minimize my impact on history, I'd decoy away one of her housemaids then show up as a replacement and rootle around in her room while making the beds, rather than go through some complicated rigmarole requiring me to spend a year in the past and deeply entwine myself in her life, so the plot was always going to be a tough sell for me.
Thus I went into this hoping it'd simply be fun, and it just wasn't really. The historical characters are intriguing glimpses but only glimpses (except Henry, who the author keeps telling me is charming but who never once behaves with charm), while the fictional characters are total ciphers. They're definitely not characters; they're not even really collections of traits, because I don't know what their traits are. Rachel is very Jewish for two pages, then it's irrelevant. Liam's an actor and apparently that means he is a different person every time he opens his mouth. At no point does the reader get anything more than vague, cryptic hints about his life and the girlfriend he has but appears to not like very much at all. Rachel's relationship with him is bewildering in its baselessness.
And then the book just... ends.
The bits about what experiencing the world 200 years ago would be like were quite well done.
Thus I went into this hoping it'd simply be fun, and it just wasn't really. The historical characters are intriguing glimpses but only glimpses (except Henry, who the author keeps telling me is charming but who never once behaves with charm), while the fictional characters are total ciphers. They're definitely not characters; they're not even really collections of traits, because I don't know what their traits are. Rachel is very Jewish for two pages, then it's irrelevant. Liam's an actor and apparently that means he is a different person every time he opens his mouth. At no point does the reader get anything more than vague, cryptic hints about his life and the girlfriend he has but appears to not like very much at all. Rachel's relationship with him is bewildering in its baselessness.
And then the book just... ends.
The bits about what experiencing the world 200 years ago would be like were quite well done.
June 11, 2017
I read about half and I was really enjoying it until I realized I don't give a shit about the main character. She is shallow and her development poor. She only reacts to people and lacks her own depth and motive. And therefore because her characters are so poor you would think the narrative would be more compelling but it lacks and becomes very slow and boring mid way with no signs of recovery. I really was enjoying this book and it just had a sharp yet gradual decline to the point I didn't care to finish.
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